Sleep Mythology and Potentials for Harm
I was on The Sun news website and ran across an interesting article by Gemma Mullin regarding common sleep mythology and the harmfulness some of the assumptions regarding sleep and events during slumber will impart to the human body.• You can get by on less than five hours sleep
• Snoring is harmless
• Booze for bed boosts sleep
• Watching TV helps you unwind
• Snoozing your alarm isn't that bad for you
It has been my experience that massive amounts of sleep don't turn you into a superman. My time working at the handbell place afforded a workday which began at 5 to 6 am and ended at about 2 pm. So nowadays I pursue this 2 hour nap in the afternoons and I really would just as soon stay awake but find it somewhat difficult to acclimatize myself thusly.
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However, I fail to see how more than adequate sleep might ameliorate such potential.
I have heard many times how harmless snoring is during the course of sleep.
My biological father had a stupendous snore about his slumber and it was about that time I unsuccessfully attempted to ascertain if I snore during sleep. Alas, that information continues to elude me. Snoring is said to possibily be symptomatic of sleep apnea and as such is indeed potentially hazardous to the health.
Drinking before bed is said to inhibit that deep REM sleep essential for the process refreshment we sleep to attain. Having been an imbiber from about my Navy enlistment through about 30 years ago I am happy to place my habit at "rarely" these days and I have on occasion fallen asleep in a drunken slumber ... primarily at the Enlisted Men's Barracks at the Naval Training Center in Orlando Florida.
Watching television at bed time is said to be a stressor. Up until recently I turned off the television prior to bedtime ... but do admit to a spate of television in the old era of analog tubers in the bedroom and frequent late night South Park binge watching. These days I will leave the television on but sometimes arise and turn it off out of exasperation.
Suffice it to say that I agree the television is really not a sleep enhancement device.
The alarm snooze button is also suspect in sleep disarray. It seems that squeezing an extra half hour is doing nothing aside from making me feel worse when I finally do give it up and arise. Given the chord reading about this struck with me personally I think I'm going to knock off this habit I have cultivated I will likely start turning off the alarm and hitting the shower ... groggy or not.
The researchers, whose findings are published in Sleep Health, say some myths still cause disagreement - even among experts.
For instance lie-ins at the weekend disrupt the natural circadian rhythm or body clock.
But for people in certain professions - such as shift workers it may be better for them to sleep on than to get fewer hours overall.
These discrepancies, they say, suggest further research needs to be done.
From MYTH BUSTER Less than 5 hours is OK and 4 other sleep myths that are ‘serious risk to your health
By Gemma Mullin, Digital Health Reporter
16th April 2019, 10:41 am
Updated: 16th April 2019, 9:31 pm